title: Immunogenicity of a vaccine formulated with the Chlamydia trachomatis serovar F, native major outer membrane protein in a nonhuman primate model.
abstract: To determine the ability of a vaccine formulated with the genital Chlamydia trachomatis, serovar F, native major outer membrane protein (Ct-F-nMOMP), to induce systemic and mucosal immune responses, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were immunized three times by the intramuscular (i.m.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) routes using CpG-2395 and Montanide ISA 720 VG, as adjuvants. As controls, another group of M. mulatta was immunized with ovalbumin instead of Ct-F-nMOMP using the same formulation and routes. High levels of Chlamydia-specific IgG and IgA antibodies were detected in plasma, vaginal washes, tears, saliva, and stools from the Ct-F-nMOMP immunized animals. Also, high neutralizing antibody titers were detected in the plasma from these animals. Monkeys immunized with ovalbumin had no detectable Chlamydia-specific antibodies. Furthermore, as measured by a lymphoproliferative assay, significant Chlamydia-specific cell-mediated immune responses were detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from the rhesus macaques vaccinated with Ct-F-nMOMP when compared with the animals immunized with ovalbumin. In addition, the levels of two Th1 cytokines, IFN-γ and TNF-α, were significantly higher in the animals immunized with Ct-F-nMOMP when compared with those from the monkeys immunized with ovalbumin. To our knowledge, this is the first time that mucosal and systemic immune responses have been investigated in a nonhuman primate model using a subunit vaccine from a human genital C. trachomatis serovar.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical Sciences I, Room D440, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4800, USA.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Sukumar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Ilham
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bettahi
authors.forename: Kristie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Oxford
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de la Maza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000032:analysis; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D023421:Models, Animal; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D018272:Porins / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D014611:Vaccination; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D018272:Porins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C071677:omp1 protein, Chlamydia trachomatis; D007371:Interferon-gamma